Theresa Thorne from kwa’mutsun shares some information on wapato

wapato

wild potato

sqewth tthu snes.

nilh s’ulhtuns tthu hwulmuhwulh.
This used to be a food for the First Nations people.

Featured Plant

saaqw’ | Cow Parsnip

Cow-parsnip is a large, herbaceous plant that produces large clusters of white flowers followed by small, flat seed-like fruits. It grows along streambanks, moist slopes, and clearings as well as a variety of other habitats from sea level to subalpine elevations. It is common throughout the entire coastal area of the province.

The hollow stems and solid leaf stalks of this plant are edible, once peeled to remove the skin. The term saaqw’ seems to refer to the entire plant of cow-parsnip. Cow-parsnip stems and leaf stalks are edible when peeled. They must be peeled before they are eaten to remove the outer skin, which can cause skin irritation upon contact with bare, moist skin in the presence of sunlight. The term yaala applies to the edible portion of cow-parsnips, possibly both the stems and the leaf stalks.